


Hungerstuck

by hungerstuck (chocolatula)



Category: Hiveswap, Homestuck
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:47:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22595785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chocolatula/pseuds/hungerstuck
Summary: May the odds be ever in your favor.[The writing gets better from Chapter 2.]
Comments: 3
Kudos: 33





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please note that these are chapters made for my blog: https://hungerstuck.tumblr.com
> 
> Over there, you will be able to see the interviews done with the tributes, as well as get a chance to vote for who gets to live, and other important stuff. Go check it out!
> 
> You could also opt to join the discord server instead: https://discord.gg/FYSunHm
> 
> Thank you!

The sound of drums had begun to echo throughout the Capitol, signifying the day the games begin. Tributes are all awoken and taken for their last proper meal. _Roxy, Nepeta, Gamzee, Jane, Kuprum, and Karako_ scour their food down in anticipation for the starvation to come, while _Karkat, Sollux, Kanaya, Tavros, and Marsti_ cannot even stomach food in their system right now, and opt to skip breakfast completely.

The calmer half of the tributes, _Dave, Feferi, Eridan, John, Dirk, Aradia, Equius, Jade, Terezi, Vriska, Folykl, Rose, and Jake_ eat normally, as if it were an ordinary day. After all, eating too much may cause lethargy or stomach pains later, and eating nothing at all meant running out of energy faster.

The tributes are then escorted to the hovercraft on the rooftop, where trackers are inserted under their skin. They soon arrive within the catacombs, dressed in a somewhat warm get up. Theories buzz through some of their minds, thinking about the battle field they’re about to risk their lives playing in. Could it be a tundra of sorts? The clothes weren’t too thick. It’s designed to keep you warm, but not from the freezing cold. If needed, they could take off their light coat for more agility, but then possibly risk hypothermia. It was anyone’s guess what the arena was going to be.

A slight vibration is felt by all the tributes, and soon they are sent up into the arena. Once they’ve fully arrived within the arena, they are able to find themselves in the middle of a surfeit of ruins. Domes, pillars, all very roman in architecture, surround them. As for now, the only form of life that can be seen are the tributes. The sun was hidden overhead by dense, gray clouds. In the middle of the circle of tributes was a large statue of Diana - the Roman Goddess of hunting and the moon - and surrounding her pedestal was a plethora of items, from food to weaponry, backpacks to survival equipment. Some were scattered around haphazardly, slightly further away from the statue and closer to the tributes for easy access. There’s a faint rumbling of several waterfalls surrounding the ruins from relatively far away, and there was moisture coating the air. Thick forests surround the blue grasslands on the outskirts of the ruins, a fair distance away. The timer begins. 60 seconds on the clock.

**“Let the annual hunger games begin!”**

Karkat’s eyes dart across the other tribute’s faces, his breathing a little frantic as he tried to calm himself. To his side, he sees Kanaya, who appeared calm from a distance, but after looking for long enough, he could tell she was having a hard time stopping the shudders running through her body. 

_53 seconds._

The Career tributes all seem confident in different ways. Feferi and John looked excited to begin, ready to kill. Dirk and Rose seemed unreadable almost, as if they didn’t want to give away how they were feeling, but they gave off an air of superiority. Jake had a hint of arrogance in his eyes, while Eridan had a sense of bloodlust in his.

_44 seconds._

District 3’s tributes, Sollux and Roxy were eyeing each other across the playing field. They had smirks on their faces, and a look of determination. Sollux gives a brief glance over to Aradia, who winked back. Alliances have been made, it seems.

_32 seconds._

Equius was looking around a little frantically, before he catches sight of Nepeta, which calms him greatly and fills him with determination. Nepeta looked ready to go, already in a stance ready to leap out of her metal circle. Kuprum is quite similar, looking for Folykl, but she remained still.

_27 seconds._

Dave stood tall, not giving much away, but you could tell he was ready to avenge his brother. Karako, the youngest tribute, looked unsure. He fiddled with his fingers, nervousness settling in. But the moment he sees the confidence in the other tributes, he buckles up and pushes aside any nerves.

_11 seconds._

Jade seemed regretful in the situation she finds herself in, but stands ready to run. Jane is looking around nervously, unsure what to do. Tension was rising, but Terezi seemed to be unwavering. 

_8 seconds._

Vriska made it clear the direction she was planning to go in, her eyes trained on the spoils that awaited the tributes. She looked towards Tavros, nodding at him, who only shook his head nervously. He knew what she was trying to signal, and fear began to overtake him. She looked over to Terezi, who could barely see her. She was too far. Fuck… How was she supposed to get her attention?

_5 seconds._

Gamzee seemed tired. Dazed even. He wasn’t in the right mind at that moment, looking confused as to what was even happening. The gongs showed to be painful to him, as he honked angrily each time they sounded, eyes turning red. Shut up shut up shut up.

_2 seconds._

This was it. Marsti shifted her foot, ready to run. Her eyes fastened on a first aid kit nearby another tribute’s plate, but far enough from the statue. She was going to go for it.

**GONG!**

Marsti darted towards the first aid, eyes focused on it. Just get it and leave. Get it and leave! She grabs onto it, before she looked up, seeing another tribute, Gamzee, before her, blocking her direct path away from the cornucopia. Before she could maneuver around him, he grabbed her by the hair and slammed her into the ground. Marsti looked up, terrified. He didn’t even seem human anymore. She let out a scream of terror as Gamzee clobbered his hands into her face. He pounded her without stopping, yelling angrily to ‘make it stop’ before a **BOOM** is heard, signalling the death of a tribute. This snaps him out of his trance, as he seemed to be sat on top of the now dead Marsti, staring with wide eyes. Before he could even think, an arrow shot through his chest. His eyes widened, choking for breath, looking to who the culprit was. Equius stood tall with the bow held firm in his hand, Nepeta watching out for his back. He must’ve gotten it from the statue. Nepeta hissed at the other tributes, before they both ran off with whatever goods they could obtain, Equius grabbing the first aid as well. Gamzee dropped to the ground beside Marsti as another loud **BOOM** echoes through the ears of the tributes.

Karkat watches in horror for a moment before he snaps out of it, grabbing the nearest supply he could reach - a container for water and a small dagger - and made a run for it, away from the cornucopia. Kanaya runs off as well, but doesn’t grab anything, too afraid.

Kuprum managed to make his way to Folykl without much harm finding him, grabbing a backpack on the way and taking hold of her wrist, dragging her away from the Cornucopia. Jade watches them run, glancing towards the statue. All the goodies in the middle were just beckoning her to grab them, but due to better judgement, she turned around and disappeared through the ruins. Dave had grabbed a sleeping bag and an awl, before rushing off away from the other tributes.

Vriska ran towards the cornucopia, noticing that Terezi was running off in the opposite direction, not even trying to pick anything useful up on the way. Ugh. Idiot. Tavros was following behind Vriska, looking around quickly. They reach the statue, Vriska grabbing a lance and tossing it behind her for Tavros to use. But the lance fell to the ground, Tavros having collapsed beside it. 

**BOOM**. 

Feferi had her foot on top of him, pulling her trident out as she smirked at Vriska. A scowl appeared on Vriska’s lips as she grabbed the scimitar next to her and pointed it at Feferi.

“Not another step closer.” She warned, her pupils trained on Feferi as she backed up against the statue. 

Feferi giggled, shaking her head and raising her hands. “Okay. Not another step closer.”

Vriska smirked, her fingers fiddling with the dice she had been allowed to bring into the arena as her tribute token. Luck’s on her side. It always had been. She’s been in stickier situations than this, after all. This? This was nothi--

Woah. Everything was moving funny. She felt… Dizzy. Her fingers loosen up as if she had lost control over them, dropping the dice, with all of them landing on a 1. She looked down, staring in horror at the harpoon that went straight through her chest. 

The last breath of air escaped her lungs as she fell down. **BOOM.** ****

“I guess you stuck to your word.” Eridan muttered, taking the harpoon out.

Meanwhile, a focused, but terrified Jane was hiding behind the supplies. Her hand cupped over her mouth so they wouldn’t hear her breathing. She heard two loud booms, knowing for a fact they had just killed two tributes only a few mere feet away from where she was. She tried to stay hidden from their view, but they wouldn’t leave. It was too late to run. She had to-

**BOOM.**

****

Eridan looked back to see John holding a bloodied warhammer, standing beside a now dead Jane. John smiled back friendly as ever, waving his hand. Eridan scoffed. 

“Where are the rest a’ the tributes?” He bends down, grabs a cloth, and wipes his harpoon clean as he makes his way to Dirk.

“Ran off. Rose is watching the other side with Jake. The tributes would have to be idiots to come close.” He shrugged, sighing as he sheathes his katana. “District 3 tributes seem to be buddying up with one of the District 12 girls.” 

“Marsti?” John pipes in, tilting his head.

“The other one. I saw them grab some stuff close to their pods and make for the metaphorical hills.” Dirk looked back at the bodies of Vriska and Tavros. “I was expecting more of a fight from them.” He hears a rustle, looking to the side before noticing Karako. 

The small boy wasted no time and grabbed something, running off. Eridan was about to chase him, but Dirk stopped him. 

“What’re you doin’? I could kill him, easy.” Eridan barked at Dirk, who just shook his head. 

Feferi grinned and dug her trident into the ground. “It’ll be more fun this way. There’s still plenty of time in the day. We could always hunt him down later.”

It had become abundantly clear that the Career tributes had now claimed the Cornucopia and all the spoils it held, but the Games were not merciful. The Career tributes were, like all the other tributes, pawns on a chessboard, waiting to be knocked off. One by one.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I had double the images planned for this chapter but I just never got to it. I hope you guys enjoy it regardless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Specific Warnings  
> \- Vomiting (no imagery)  
> \- Accidental misgendering  
> \- Suicide

The Career tributes have slowly begun gathering the things from the Cornucopia and bringing it to an opening with a lake. The lake was dark, almost black in colour, but deemed safe to drink when Eridan convinced Jake to take a sip, despite Rose’s attempt to persuade him against it. 

“Seems alright, lads!” Jake gives a thumbs up, to which Rose rolls her eyes to.

“He could’ve very well died had it been toxic. What is the point of this alliance if we are so readily willing to kill each other for the benefit of ourselves?” Rose frowns pointedly towards Eridan, who scoffs in return.

“If one is willing to take a risk for the team’s benefit, then I don’t see the issue.” He pushes past her, not before saying something under his breath, loud enough for her to hear, “There is only _one_ victor, after all, Rose.”

This creates a reaction within her that she found trouble in pushing down, scowling at Eridan before turning to grab a weapon. Eridan watches intently, in case she tried anything, but she simply glares. 

“I’m going to go hunting.” She says,

“We already have plenty of food.” Feferi chimes in, before Rose adds onto her previous statement,

“For tributes. I suppose the rest of you are content with just waiting out the games until one is crowned the victor, correct?”

Silence filled the air as the others looked at Rose. Dirk got up with a heavy sigh, walking over to her. “Hey. We have plenty of time to do that. For now, let’s just get settled. Getting hasty is the last thing we need to do.”

The one singular voice of reason being Dirk seemed to calm her down, her tight grip on the spear she held loosening. She wasn’t even too great with those things. She would love to take a walk on her own to gather herself, but she knew all too well how dangerous of a task that would be, so she opts to just put the weapon aside and sit down on the grass.

When it seems the situation has more or less settled, John speaks up. “How about a dip?” He smiles nervously, not enjoying the tension between everyone.

Feferi perked up and grinned. “Absolutely!” She wastes no time peeling off her coat and clothes, until she was in her undergarments. The District 1 tributes began rushing into the water, Jake following excitedly.

Eridan watches them with disinterest, deciding to just stand watch with his harpoon ready in hand. Dirk and Rose decide to chat amongst themselves.

“So talk me through what just happened? You’ve been pretty level headed up until then.” Dirk nudges her knee with a couple of his fingers, gentle, as to not agitate.

“I’m fine, Dirk.” She wasn’t fine. But she knew that showing signs of fear or weakness would mean she’d be an easy target to dispose of. She wasn’t ready to welcome the darkness that followed death quite yet.

Her eyes look up to watch the trio splash in the water. They begin playing around, seeing who can hold their breath the longest. They emerge, gasping for air, and laughing. Rose could almost see the child-like nature of them all, as if they were living the childhood that had been so harshly stripped away from them for the purpose of training for the games.

“How deep do you think the lake is? Bet you can’t make it all the way down.” Feferi teased Jake, who started laughing nervously. 

“What on Earth are you talking about? Of course I can. That’s a simple task for someone like me.” He didn’t doubt his skills, but he wasn’t quite in a trusting position with District 1’s tributes. They were, after all, favoured to win every year.

“Come on. They say District 4 tributes are basically born with gills.” John eggs him on, both him and Feferi staring him down with big, playful smiles. It was only a _little_ bit creepy.

“Alright, alright. You know I like a challenge.” He moves away from them for a moment, before diving down and disappearing into the murky abyss.

Rose and Dirk watch from afar, Eridan keeping his eyes peeled for anything suspicious around the area. A minute passes, and then two. After far too many minutes have come and gone, Rose slowly stood up, stepping towards the lake, worry glazed over her lavender eyes.

“Where is he?” She asks - no - she demands. 

The bubbles where Jake once was no longer popped on the surface. It was still, silent, and the realisation of what was happening began to settle on everyone far too morbidly. It wasn’t until the sound of the loud **BOOM** in the air that they realised the true fate of Jake English. Eridan spun around with his harpoon held tightly as he stared in disbelief. Soon enough, Jake’s body floated to the surface of the water, his glasses missing, and his body showing signs of rotting all over.

John and Feferi began panicking as they rushed out the water, in fear of catching whatever the hell he caught. They waded out quickly, dripping wet and freezing cold as they watched Jake’s body float.

Rose felt her hands clasp into small fists, nails digging into the palm of her hands. Dirk stood next to her, frowning before speaking up. “We were watching, Rose. It couldn’t have been either of them.”

“I know.” She mutters through gritted teeth, unable to take her eyes off the body, “I know.”

* * *

Air didn’t seem to fill Terezi’s lungs fast enough, her panting quick-paced, and her heart rate staggeringly fast. She ran a great distance from the cornucopia, unsure of her surroundings or where she was going, until finally she reached a small opening surrounded by trees and a large, ruined building. She stumbles, feeling around, before her foot makes contact with something hard and solid. With a gentle kick, she decides to lean down to brush her fingers over it. The sharp bark was flaking off, making it evident that it was a fallen log. An exasperated sigh leaves her lips as she sits on it for a moment to catch her breath.

She hears a loud boom in the distance, signalling the death of a tribute. The sound rang through her ears, filling her with despair. “Fuck.” Raking back her hair, she tries to look around, her eyes squinting through lenses at the blurred vision that seemed to haunt her. 

That, and her head was starting to hurt. 

Through all her squinting, she notices a small, vague moving shape making its way towards her. Anxiety begins to rise within her as she leans back, the leaves crackling under her weight when one hand rests on the ground behind the log to support her. She hears the sound of harmless chirring, as the creature gets closer. She reaches a cautious hand out as what appears to be a dragonling lands on her palm, nuzzling into it. It didn’t _seem_ to want to cause her any harm, so Terezi’s shoulders dropped from the anticipation, and her index finger began to scratch the head of the young, petite dragon.

“You were made to kill… Weren’t you?” She mutters with a small, solemn smile, “I’ll tell you a secret. So were we.” 

* * *

District 7’s tributes, Nepeta and Equius, were busy exploring the ruins, trying to find anything useful they could forage. Nepeta frowns as they basically overturn yet another small, ruined building. A loud, irritated groan escapes her as she stomps her foot and looks towards Equius.

“We’re getting nowhere with this! We should be out hunting the other tributes. Come on!”

“Don’t be so hasty, Nepeta. We must make sure we are well equipped for such a task. I wouldn’t want anything -” He pauses to grunt as he pushes a large boulder away from the entrance to a building, “- bad to happen to you.” With a quick wipe of the sweat from his forehead, he turns his head to look at Nepeta. “Perhaps we can take shelter in one of these buildings.”

As he spoke, there was a low growl heard from within. Before Equius could react, a wolf jumps out and bit his leg, causing him to yelp and toss his leg around until the wolf flew off and skidded to the side. Nepeta hurries to Equius’ side, checking his injury before scowling at the wolf. But something else - something bigger - catches her attention. She eyes the building, quickly pulling Equius back as a whole pack of wolves step out, each one of them snarling with blood-lust in their eyes. The alpha stood tall and proud in the front, much bigger than the other wolves. He lifts his head, and howls loudly, causing the other wolves to react and begin jumping towards Nepeta and Equius. The two of them proceed to defend themselves to the best of their abilities, which were pretty fucking good. Equius slams a few wolves out of the way, while Nepeta claws at them and kicks. She quickly looks towards Equius, then to the alpha. Light bulb.

“Equius, throw me!” She commands, and Equius immediately obeys as he grabs hold of her, hoisting her up and throwing her like a javelin. She speeds through the air from the sheer force of the throw, barrelling right into the alpha.

She claws, bites, clobbers, and destroys the wolf without a shred of mercy. The other wolves slow down to watch, as well as Equius. She’s hunched over the wolf after some time, claw and bite wounds scattering her arms and legs, her back facing the others. Slowly, she gets up, slightly limp before turning to look at the other wolves, her eyes narrowing. The huntress has risen. The wolves proceed to ‘bow’ to her, extending a paw and lowering their head out of respect. 

Equius is slightly dumbfounded by the series of events, looking at the other wolves and laughing nervously. “This should prove to be somewhat beneficial.” He walks over to her, holding a hand up as the two of them high five.

* * *

Sollux, Roxy, and Aradia reach what looks like the end of the ruins. There were still some pillars scattered around that have fallen, collecting moss and showing signs of wearing. The fields were large, surrounded by forestry in the distance. Grass blades sway in the chilling wind as the sun was shining bright over them. 

“We should find somewhere less open.” Sollux suggests, looking back at Aradia and Roxy, “I’m not in the mood to be an open free-for-all buffet for the others.”

“We can follow the edge of the ruins, until we reach the forest.” Aradia adjusts the backpack that she managed to snag on their way out. She shifts so it’s placed on the ground, as she buries through it. With a victorious grin, she pulls out some throwing knives. “Hey, Sollux. I remember you having a pretty good aim with these.” 

Sollux raises an eyebrow before plucking the knives out of Aradia’s hold. He smirks and does a little trick spin before gripping it tightly. “Good. I’m absolute ass at hand to hand combat-”

A groan interrupts him, as he and Aradia glance back to an ill-looking Roxy. 

“Is she okay?” Aradia questions, before Roxy held a hand up, one finger pointing at Aradia.

“Is _he_ okay.” Roxy corrects, giving a sickly look towards the two before covering his mouth. “Ugh… Shouldn’t have… Drank so much…”

“Oh!” Aradia claps her hands together, smiling apologetically, “Sorry. I wasn’t aware. I shouldn’t have made the assumption.”

“Yeah, come on, Aradia. Very uncool.” Sollux snickered sarcastically before walking over to Roxy and placing a gentle hand on his back. “Let it out.”

Sollux didn’t have to say it twice. Roxy lurches forward and releases a whole mess out of his mouth, followed by a quiet whine. It was clear that a lot of alcohol, and a lot of breakfast, had decided to evict the premises of Roxy’s stomach. Sollux’s hand continued to move in a calming motion on Roxy’s back.

A rustle in the bushes catches their attention, as Sollux stood straight, his knife at the ready. “We have to go, come on Roxy.” 

Aradia helps Roxy stand up straight, holding an arm around his waist as they all make a run for it towards the forest.

* * *

The small dragonling headbutts it’s head against Terezi’s palm, chirping as Terezi looks at the sky. The sun was blinding, but the rays only managed to seep through the tree leaves. Speckles of light hit her face, reminding her of home. Her chest tightens. Home was never kind to her, and come to think of it, life never was either. Her free hand reaches over to her glasses, as she takes them off and puts them aside. A curious chirp comes from the dragonling as it crawls over to sniff at the glasses. 

“I’m going blind.” Terezi smiles down at the dragonling, who looks up questioningly. “But that’s not all. They say I don’t have long to live. I’m dying, you see, and I was going to volunteer for the games regardless of whether they reaped my name or not.” 

It was a good thing that they did draw her name. It avoids the stress of whoever else could’ve been chosen, and it avoids the huge song and dance that they would’ve made about Terezi volunteering. Talk about an invasion of privacy that would’ve been. She could almost hear the nagging voices and irritating questions thrown her way.

The dragonling moves onto Terezi’s lap and bounces off, flying away. She watches it disappear, wondering where it was heading off to. She doesn’t have to wonder long though, as the dragonling makes a reappearance and flaps its wings in front of her. It makes a noise, showing that it was holding something. With a raised brow, Terezi opens her hands as small, bluish black berries are dropped onto her palm. She peers down as the dragonling lands beside her leg, eyes beckoning her to eat them. Lifting her hands up to her nose, she takes a good long sniff at the berries.

Nightlock.

She gave out a pained laugh, looking down at the dragonling. “You’re right. If I’m going to die, I should be the one that pulls the trigger.” What chance did she have anyway? Even if she miraculously won the games, she was going to die anyway. It was terminal, and not treatable. 

She didn’t feel sad. A sense of relief even washed over her body as she took a deep breath. The berries roll against her hand as she tilts her head back and puts it into her mouth. She doesn’t have to think twice before biting into them and swallowing. With her final breath, she raises her arm up, and flips the sky off. Before the berries could even reach her stomach, she fell back, limp, against the log. Whatever berries didn’t make it into her mouth rolled out of her hand. The dragonling sniffed at her, climbing on top of her as it curls up and sleeps. It has done its job.

**BOOM.**


End file.
